NEW SCOTLAND — Political squabbles have already begun to play a role in the upcoming town elections.
"As chairman, I feel very slighted," Albany County Conservative Party Chairman Richard Stack told The Enterprise this week. He claims New Scotland Democrats are undermining the Conservative Party.

Four petitions for an opportunity to ballot in the Conservative Party primary were handed into the Albany County Board of Elections on July 14, the day they were due.

During a general election anyone can write in any name on the ballot. For a primary, however, voters enrolled in that party, have to submit a petition for an opportunity to ballot, requesting to be allowed to write in a name of an undesignated candidate.

The Conservative party leaders have endorsed and designated New Scotland candidates who are also running on the Republican ticket.

On the four petitions to ballot, there are a total of 18 signatures. A majority of the signatures are from relatives of candidates running on the Democratic ticket, or relatives of town officials already in office as Democrats.

It is not uncommon for voters to request an opportunity to ballot, but what is unusual is that the Conservative party chairman is challenging the petition.

Stack said he is challenging the first petition of the four, labeled sheet one, on the grounds that the dates next to the signatures have been illegally changed.

Illegal altering"

The challenged petition was circulated by Sharon Boehlke, who lives on New Scotland South Road and is a member of the Conservative Party.

Stack filed his general objection to the board of elections on Friday, July 15. He has six days to hand in his specific challenge.

He told The Enterprise this week that it is obvious to anyone looking at the petition that, next to several signatures, the date July 7 had been altered to show a "5," and there are no initials of the signers to verify the date change, Stack said.

On July 6, Boehlke signed as a witness at the bottom of the page.

The Enterprise obtained a copy of the petitions from board of elections, and, of the eight names on this one petition circulated and witnessed by Boehlke, four of the dates do appear to have been written over a second time with ink. (see illustration)

Boehlke told The Enterprise that she has been involved in politics for 30 years and has been a member of the Conservative Party for 25 years. She said she has "never done anything in any way not correct in terms of a petition," because, she said, she knows the importance of them.

In this case, she did not change the dates; and she did not use an eraser she said. She is so meticulous in gathering signatures that she used the same pen to retrieve each signature, she said.

She did not write in the dates for the signers because, Boehlke said, she knows that’s illegal and, she watched each person sign and date their own line.

When she submitted the petition to the board of elections, the dates were in no way unclear, she said and she was surprised that the petition was being challenged.

Boehlke said, if the dates appear to have been altered, then the only possible explanation is that the papers had been changed after she handed them in.

The Enterprise called a few of the signers on the questionable lines to find out what day they had signed. Some could not be reached while one signer said she did not remember what day it was, since it was two weeks ago.

Choosing candidates
The petition states, "I the undersigned, do hereby state that I am a duly enrolled voter of the Conservative Party and entitled to vote at the next primary election."

Boehlke said that she is not a person who just in the past couple of years switched her party affiliation, she said, she is not trying to start a write in campaign because she is vindictive toward the conservative party, but instead she is petitioning because she is opposed to Supervisor Ed Clark and how he’s running the town.

Stack said that the Conservative Party received applications from candidates who wanted to run on the Conservative Party ticket, and then the party interviewed 135 people for positions across the county.

The conservatives chose Andrea Gleason and Douglas LaGrange for town board seats and Ed Clark as supervisor of New Scotland. These candidates are also running on the Republican ticket.
Stack said the Conservative Party likes what Gleason and Clark have done so far and that they have done a great job. And, after meeting with LaGrange, the committee was able to see that LaGrange "is a family person that represents fiscal conservativeness," Stack said. He added that LaGrange has done a decent job on the planning board as well.
Boehlke said she doesn’t think Clark has the enthusiasm or the energy to face the upcoming development pressures, and, while he claims to not be party-affiliated, she said he is most certainly a Republican. Boehlke also said that she disapproves of Clark "encircling himself with very expensive [financhial] advisors." She said she believes he delegates too many of his responsibilities.
"I think it’s time for a change in supervisor," Boehlke said.

Clark responded that he has been most forceful about preparing for change, launching a citizen’s committee and now advocating for a comprehensive plan.

Currently not enrolled in a party, Clark was formerly a Republican, and he said he welcomes the Republican support, and that he’ll accept support from any party who’s ideologies match his.
He said he continues at town hall to work with the Democrat-hired employees of previous supervisors, because they are "good people" who are good at their job, and that he hasn’t hired any new consultants.

Another objection

Stack is not the only person challenging the petition witnessed by Boehlke. Anne Carson of Voorheesville submitted a general objection letter to the board of elections on July 18, she has six days to file the specifics as well.

Carson told The Enterprise this week that she is questioning some of the people who signed the petition, and if they are enrolled and registered to vote. She said she is also questioning three of the dates, that appear to have been changed but then not signed again.

Carson said that she is part of the Republican Party and, while not tied to any one person’s campaign, she is in support of the Republican candidates.

"On democratic principle"
Stack said that while people do have the right to file for the opportunity to ballot, he is surprised to see the illegal altering of the dates to achieve a means. "It’s not right," he said, adding that there is a process for this and it should be followed.

Any party can circulate petitions for any other political party, Stack said, and he sees two of the four petitions as a way for the Democrats to intervene.

Stack said he is feeling undermined by the Democrats and particularly referred to one of the petitions that is signed by five people with the last name of Reilly and is notarized by Herbert Reilly, who Stack said is tied to the Democratic machine.

Reilly, a democrat was formerly New Scotland’s supervisor and is currently an Albany County legislator.
Herbert Reilly’s response to Stack’s statement was, "My children are Conservatives," he added that they listen to Rush Limbaugh more than anyone. Reilly said he simply was serving as a notary public for them, and that he didn’t have anything to do with circulation of the petition.

At the top of all four petition sheets, the same three conservative party members Boehlke, John Reilly of Voorheesville and Michael Cootware of Clarksville are designated as a committee to receive notices.
Boehlke said that she circulated the petition for the opportunity to ballot, "on democratic principle."

She said none of the members on the Conservative Party’s executive committee, who authorizes candidates for office live within the town of New Scotland.
"The party bosses should not be picking our candidates," she said. She said that she had a lot of respect for the Conservative Party and Stack but just as she would not go into Colonie, the home town of a number of executive committee members, and tell them who the party is going to endorse for their town elections, they should not do so for New Scotland. "This is my town," Boehlke said.

Democratic and Republican endorsements for New Scotland town elections are made by the respective political party organizations from within the town.

The county-wide Conservative Party executive council members don’t know the functioning of New Scotland town government, Boehlke said, they are unaware of the daily functioning and monthly meetings, she said.